Play & Learn together with your children - few ideas to get you started with Flockmen

We sincerely believe that Flockmen are the kind of toys that encourage indirect communication between you and your child. They are effective tools to mirror to your child’s mind - deepest thoughts, happiness and frustrations are reflected into how your child plays with Flockmen.

You will see how Flockmen toys empower your child’s imagination right in front of your eyes. They make learning through play feel natural and authentic.

To help you to get started with playing with your set of Flockmen we have combined a few play ideas for you based on our play experience with our own children, play groups and contributions from customers all round the world. We sincerely hope that these tips will fuel your imagination and enrich your precious playtimes with the little ones. Enjoy.

Construction Projects

Flockmen are tactile toys allowing your child to experience them through touch and movement. Their unique shape makes them easily stackable. Children can develop their collaboration, non-verbal communication and fine motoring skills by building various kinds of shapes, patters and construction projects.

Tips:

Encourage building along side other toys you already have

Build a structure yourself first, then ask your child to memorise and build it from scratch

Decorate & Characterise

The very human-like form of Flockmen leaves your child’s mind free to transform the shapes through their play and bring Flockmen to life in an endless variety of characters and scenarios.This is a wonderful opportunity to understand what is on your child’s mind.

At the moment, the linseed oil coating does not support stickers. They just fall off. The best way to personalise Flockmen is by tiny bits of PVA glue.

This will change when we start producing Flockmen out of solid wood. You'll be able to personalise them with stickers!

Tips:

Use Flockmen in role play. For example: Create a Flockmen family that is going on a family day out to a farm. Assign roles, jobs and play it out. Your child will enjoy it. Children often use real life experience in their role-play times, giving you a little peek at how they view the world around them.

Get the Flockmen involved in your story times, as characters to retell the story

Let the imagination flow and customise Flockmen with colours, decoupaging and paper accessories

Learn Through Play

Flockmen help your child to visualise basic maths problems such as addition, subtraction and times tables. Older children can incorporate the pieces in to geometry and physics problems.

Tips:

When you create shapes or patterns with your child, count the Flockmen in your creation

Start with counting from 0-3 in sets (repeat in the activity by setting up Flockmen in various ways to establish the knowledge) then try 0-5, 0-10, etc.

Play Games

Our children love Flockmen, they return to the toys over and over again. That makes Flockmen the perfect material to use in games.

Flockmen are made of wood and coated in linseed oil. Therefore we suggest that you do not expose them to water. (Like do not take them in the bath! :) However, a bit of water won't damage them.

If by any chance they are exposed to water - they might start to look fluffy! But that is an easy fix! Just take a bit of fine sand paper and gently polish. You will see the fluff coming off.

Tips:

Think of games that your child already knows and replace those traditional elements with Flockmen figures. This will give a new breath to the game experience

Remember that everything can be a game!

Which Flockmen set is better for my child?

Depends on your child's age. Why?Because children play behaviours are shaped as they go through several development phases from being cute toddlers to adventurous explorers, innovative builders and inspiring geniuses.

Children age 2+

Children age 4+

Should get Flockmen: Build, set of 32 pieces. This set lets your child to engage in complex construction projects. It is iead Montessori material to teach calendar, alphabet, basic counting and much more.

Please share if you found this valuable. Thank you ;)

4 comments

in the picture above we used simple markers as it was handy at the time! We have also played with watercolours, acrylic. However, the the most child-friendly colour would be Tempera Block – http://ebay.eu/2eymYwI

The tempera block will sustain that natural feel of the wood. See some examples of what @three_busy_boys have done here http://bit.ly/2fmXFz4

Wood being wood will always be impossible to clean off completely when coloured. But if you wish to customise without a trace, consider using alternative methods, here are some examples for inspiration : http://bit.ly/2frcfSq , http://bit.ly/2faX1BI , http://bit.ly/2eaHXr3

1. A little exposure to water won’t damage Flockmen. However, I suggest you don’t take them in bath! As they are made out of wood, they will start to look fluffy! You can get rid of the fluff by gently polishing them with super fine sandpaper.

2. If you personalise, then it’s best done by bits of PVA glue! The linseed oil coating does not allow any other stickers to hold. This will entirely change when we switch to solid wood production. You will be able to personalise with removable stickers!

I have purchased a set for my grandkids that I will give to them when they are a little older.

I appreciate the play and learning ideas.

I do have a couple of questions about the suggestions:
1. Are the Flockmen waterproof? The suggestion of using them as targets with water guns surprised me as I thought the water would damage them.
2. What should be used if one decides to add faces and clothing that would allow for the role play yet be removable? I like them plain yet understand that decorating them could add enjoyment for the children.

Thanks again for the fine product and suggestions. I hope that my grandkids will have years of enjoyment with them.

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